


Langan & Carisi Interior Designs

by soul_writerr



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Flirting, Fluff, Happy Ending, Interior Decorating, Light Angst, Love at First Sight, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-12 08:56:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17464427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soul_writerr/pseuds/soul_writerr
Summary: Rafael decides to renovate his home office and Rita gives him a card for Langan & Carisi Interior Designs. When Mr. Carisi comes to his apartment for a briefing, Rafael finds himself instanly drawn to the young designer.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is the result of me binge watching The Great Interior Design Challenge on Netflix. Please, have in mind the "love at first sight" tag while reading this. A little bit of my Soulmates AU might have dripped into this because I was writing the two at the same time hehe
> 
> English is still not my first language, but I think I managed it. Enjoy!

When Rafael moved into his new apartment, he was happy he didn’t need to do a lot of renovating. He did a little work in the master bedroom and the living room, but that was it. 

Now, he regretted that he didn’t renovate his home office. 

Rafael honestly didn’t think he’d have much use for it. He had a great one in the DA’s office. He had spent a lot of time perfecting it, making sure he could hold meetings, briefings, but that it stayed comfortable and practical for him to spend most of his day, and sometimes night, there. 

But eventually he realized that if he had a home office, he could go home earlier, or he wouldn’t need to get down to the DA’s office as early as he did. He wouldn’t occasionally need to go into his office on Saturday morning. 

So he decided to redo his home office. 

Rita, who renovated her office like she changed shoes, gave him a card for a company called Langan & Carisi Interior Designs, swearing they’re clean, fast, and competent. 

“And both men are extremely handsome,” she added with a wink as she handed him the card with a flourish.

That was beside the point. Rafael was more interested in the “fast” part of the deal. The sooner he could get his home office up and running, the better. So, at his earlier convenience, he scheduled a meeting with the Langan & Carisi office. 

Their very nice assistant informed Rafael that Mr. Carisi would meet him at his apartment on Saturday morning for a quick briefing so that he could see the space and bounce some ideas off of him. She said the briefing was free of charge, and that Rafael was under no obligation to hire them if he didn’t like how the meeting went.

Rafael liked the company already.

So on Saturday morning, he put on a fresh pot of coffee on and had a few muffins out for when Mr. Carisi arrived. He was dressed casually when comparing to his daily three-piece suits, but way more formal than he’d be if he wasn’t expecting someone. 

He chose a nice, thick but soft burgundy sweater, charcoal slacks and a pair of black loafers. He even put a bit of product in his hair to keep it in place. In the back of Rafael’s mind, Rita’s voice kept taunting him about the men at Langan & Carisi being handsome, so what if he chose to dress up a bit. It wouldn’t hurt to leave a good first impression.

Rafael had set the meeting for 9am, but there was a knock on his door at 8:45am. He checked himself in the mirror one last time and went to open the door. 

What he found on the other side made his heart stop completely for five seconds, then restart, beating wildly, so loudly he was afraid the man standing at his front door would hear it. 

Rita was being unfair when she said this man was handsome. But granted, Rafael was also at a loss of words as how to describe him. 

He was very tall. Almost statuesque with the way he held himself, broad shoulders back and chest out. The lines of his jaw, chin and nose were strong, but his face was sweet. He had deep expression lines on his forehead and around his mouth, which was not surprising given the beaming smile he was sporting. 

The man’s eyes were a beautiful, bright shade of blue. And Rafael felt instantly drawn by the honesty he saw in them. Looking into Mr. Carisi’s eyes, he almost felt vulnerable. 

His hair was an unique shade. The greys around his temples seemed to catch the light perfectly, and it gave him a distinguished, experienced appearance despite his obvious youth. 

And to top it all off, other than having the deepest, most adorable dimples Rafael had ever seen, the man was dressed incredibly smart. The way Rafael would dress for court; a nice, light grey three-piece suit with a vest that did wonders to his narrow waist. He had a briefcase in one hand, and a white box in the other. He couldn’t believe he was underdressed in his own home.

Rafael wasn’t sure how long he had been standing there, feeling like he had just been sucker punched in the chest. But the man’s smile didn’t dim in the slightest, and he seemed to be assessing Rafael with some underlying of interest. 

Eventually, when Rafael still didn’t seem like he could catch his breath, the man said, “Hi. Good morning. I’m here for a meeting with Mr. Rafael Barba.”

And his voice was something else, too. Deep, smooth, a hint of an accent that left him wanting to hear more. 

But Rafael decided he had already been made himself too much of a fool, so he took a step to the side and gestured for Mr. Carisi to walk in. “That’s me. Please, come on in.”

Carisi walked by him, still smiling, and Rafael suddenly felt weak in the knees. While the other man had his back to him, Rafael shook his head slightly, willing himself to get a goddamn grip. 

“Wow,” he gasped, looking around the living room as he walked in. “This is quite the place you’ve got here, Mr. Barba.” 

“Please, call me Rafael.”

“Oh, pardon me,” Carisi said as he moved the box in his hand to the other and offered Rafael a hand to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rafael. I’m Dominick Carisi Jr, but please call me Sonny.”

Sonny. It suited him. 

“Nice to meet you, Sonny,” Rafael gave him a small smile, trying not to melt into the heat of Sonny’s hand in his. “Would you like some coffee? I’ve got muffins, too.”

“Oh,” he jumped up, suddenly remembering the box in his hand. “I brought some cannoli.”

Rafael chuckled. How endearing. 

“I hope you like it,” Sonny smiled, a big, sincere smile. “And coffee sounds great, but I’d actually like to take a look at the room first, if you don’t mind?”

“Sure,” he nodded. “Let me get that,” Rafael said, taking the box from Sonny and setting it on the dining table, next to the muffins. “Follow me.”

And of course Sonny did, eagerly so. 

Rafael’s heart still wasn’t beating normally, but at least it had calmed down. The man’s presence was so energetic, like he was buzzing with it. There was a heat emanating from him that made Rafael want to stand closer to Sonny. It was weird. He had never felt that way before.

When he got to the office door, he opened it and hit the light switch, walking in and stepping to the side so Sonny could have a free view of the space. Rafael glanced back at him to see the man was looking around with wide eyes. 

“Damn,” he breathed. “Sorry. This is just an amazing space. I’ve never seen a home office this wide in Manhattan.”

The room was actually very wide, which was one of the main reasons why Rafael chose to brush it off when he moved in. He didn’t quite want to make the time to decorate it and buy furniture, so he mainly left it the way he found it. 

There was a big, dark wood bookcase in one of the corners, and he filled it with a few of his most read books for easier access. There was also an old, worn desk that was too small for his liking and that didn’t go with the bookcase. On the other side of the room there was a long sofa that didn’t get much use but that Rafael didn’t want to get rid of when he first moved in. 

Other than that, there were mostly boxes and piles of paper scattered on the floor. 

“Oh, this is beautiful,” Sonny said, stepping closer to the bookshelf. “This is such good quality wood. We can sand it and give it a coat of varnish to make it look a little darker and more polished.” 

“Sorry it’s so dusty,” he said when he noticed Sonny running his finger reverently on the wood. 

“No worries,” he waved him off. “Tell me, Rafael, what do you need from this room?”

“Well, I’m an Assistant District Attorney -”

“Holy shit,” Sonny twirled back around to look at him, gaping. “I’m sorry. Damn. I mean. An ADA? That’s impressive.” 

“Is it?,” he smirked, leaning against the opposite wall with his hands in his pocket.

“Yeah,” Sonny ducked his head, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. Rafael was amused to see him blushing. “I mean. I should have guessed. The law books,” he pointed towards the shelves. “And you look like you’re very intelligent. Intelectual. All that.”

At that, Rafael did laugh. “All that? Well, thank you. Suddenly my Harvard degree doesn’t seem to hold a candle to your inspiring praise.”

“Harvard?,” he all but squealed. “Fuck me.” 

Rafael raised both his eyebrows. 

“I’m sorry,” Sonny brought both his hands to his face, and his ears were burning red at the tips. “I’m sorry, Rafael. Can we start over?”

He shrugged. “Why? I like where we are.” 

“Uh,” Sonny blinked, running his hand through his hair. “You were telling me about the room. Please, continue.”

Rafael smiled. “Yeah, well, I’m an ADA, and I have my own office down at One Hogan Place, but I end up having to go there earlier, or leave later, because I don’t have an office at home I can use.”

“So you’re the only one who would use the space?,” he asked, checking the desk and shaking his head at it. 

“Yes,” he nodded. 

“Would you hold meetings here?” 

“No, I don’t think so,” Rafael tilted his head. “Well, I guess I could have Olivia or Rita over here and there. But I’d like to keep briefings and the likes at the DA’s office.” 

“Olivia and Rita are…?,” Sonny kept moving around the room as they went through the questions. There wasn’t that much to look at, but Rafael figured he needed to get a general idea of the space. 

“Rita Calhoun, defense attorney who likes to get on my nerves and say we’re friends,” Rafael told him and Sonny laughed.

“Oh yeah, I know Miss Calhoun. She prefers to work with Trevor, my associate, but I’ve met her,” he snorted. “She made quite the impression, not gonna lie.”

“That’s Rita for you. And Olivia is Special Victims Unit’s Lieutenant Olivia Benson. I work frequently with the unit.” 

Sonny looked up at him, frowning. “Special Victims? I’ve heard that’s… dark.”

“That’s one way to put it,” he nodded. 

“Okay,” he stepped back. “I’m also guessing you’re not going to bring any criminals into your apartment, so I’m thinking a small conference table would be good, uh?”

“Yeah, I guess. I’d like to have a couch in here as well. It doesn’t have to be as big as that one,” Rafael said, pointing at the couch long forgotten in the corner. “But something that makes this corner a bit more relaxed.”

Sonny smiled. “Got it,” he crouched down to look into the bare fireplace. “You’ve got a fireplace here, that’s really awesome. We can get you a fancy mantelpiece, you know?”

He made his way towards the curtains in the far back of the room. They were dark brown and thick, from ceiling to floor. Rafael had never opened them, for whatever reason. But when Sonny did, his breath caught in his throat again. 

Because when he pulled the curtains open, the sun light came pouring in intensely, showering him in pure, yellow heat. It made Sonny’s hair look golden.

“Wow,” Sonny exclaimed, and Rafael agreed with the sentiment. “This is stunning. Look at this view of the city. Oh, wow.”

Sonny turned his head to look at him, and oh wow indeed. His smile was blinding, the sun directly hitting the side of his face. His pupils went so small, all Rafael could see was a sea of blue. 

“Do you see this?,” Sonny stepped back. “Amazing source of natural light. You’ll definitely need lighter curtains, these ones just make the room look gloomy and dull. It’s all wrong, especially when you have this much sun coming in.”

Rafael could see what Sonny meant. The curtains seemed to be dragging the room down as it cascaded heavily on the floor. 

“This room has so much potential, Rafael,” Sonny told him with a tone of pure earnest. “I’d love to redo it for you.”

Rafael smiled. “Well, you certainly look like you know what you’re doing.”

“Then how about that coffee and some cannoli? I can show you a few drawings and hopefully that’ll help you make up your mind.”

With blue eyes locked on his like that, Rafael already knew there was no more convincing needed. But he nodded and walked out of the room, Sonny trailing behind him happily. 

All he wanted was a home office, but now he had a thumping heart and a dimpled designer with much more to offer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rafael visits Sonny's office to sign a contract, and a mysterious ring shakes him to the core.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, this was going to be a one-shot, but I couldn't help myself and I had to add a whole arc with a little angst.
> 
> Enjoy!

Rafael met Trevor Langan over a week later, when he went to the Langan & Carisi office to sign the contract. He got instantly why Rita liked working with him. He was very handsome, and even taller than Sonny.

But he didn’t make Rafael’s heart beat faster the way Sonny did, so he was biased in his views of the man already.

“Rafael,” Sonny greeted with his usual bright smile. “It’s good to see you again.”

They had met two other times after the first briefing. One in Rafael’s office at One Hogan Place, where Sonny went to find inspiration and references for his home office. And another back in his apartment so Sonny could show him drawings and 3D images of what the room would look like.

Walking into Sonny’s office was like walking into his brain, Rafael thought. The wall opposite to his desk was bright blue, with a mustard yellow couch leaning against it. The couch had grey pillows on each corner, and on the floor was a light grey, fluffy rug. The white coffee table was cut into a simple block, but had swirls in silver all around it.

The space looked cozy, extremely fun and energetic. Much like Sonny.

And on the other side, there was a big white bookcase that went from floor to ceiling, corner to corner, with the biggest array of the most colorful books Rafael had ever seen. There was nothing sober, like his law books with their dark, boring colors.

Sonny’s collection showed art, countries, food, culture, colors that painted a rainbow against the stark white of the bookshelf. His desk was also the same shade of white, with pops of blue and yellow on a few adorable knick-knacks, and his chair was a light shade of grey.

“This is such a beautiful office,” Rafael said, looking around. “Very you.”

Rafael blinked, suddenly aware of what he had said. Had he just called Sonny beautiful? Well, he was beautiful. Stunning. Breathtakingly gorgeous. But Rafael was generally more in control of his tongue than to let something like that slip. Even though he wasn’t sure what that was.

He shot Sonny a look to gather his reaction, and he smiled softly as the man blushed and ducked his head, almost tripping over the desk on his way around it.

“Thanks,” he said, holding on to his desk carefully as he sat down. “Please, take a sit. I have a few samples of paint and wallpaper I’d like to show you.”

Rafael was trying to decide if he wanted a beige color or a grey color on three of the walls in his office when there was a light knock on the door. A young lady in a suit and high-heels walked in holding a tray. She set it on the coffee table, then picked up two coffee cups to serve Sonny and Rafael.

She seemed nervous, Rafael noticed, as her hands shook slightly as she set one cups in front of him.

“Thank you, Lily,” Sonny smiled politely.

Rafael thanked her too, taking a long sip of the drink. But the girl stood by Sonny’s side after she served them, looking at Rafael with wide eyes.

Sonny seemed to have a sudden realization and jumped up. “Oh yeah, sorry. Rafael, this is Lily, she works with us here part time, but she’s a law student. She was very excited to hear we’ll be working with you.”

“Oh,” Rafael said, surprised. He set his cup back down and stood up, offering the girl a hand to shake. “Nice to meet you, Lily. I’m Rafael Barba.”

“I know,” she squealed as she took his hand in both of hers. “I’m a huge fan of yours, Mr. Barba. I’ve read all your cases. I even wrote an essay on you.”

“That’s very flattering. Thank you,” he may or may not have preened slightly, especially with the way Sonny was looking at him with open admiration. “What school do you go to?”

“Fordham, sir. I know it’s nothing compared to Harvard, but -”

“Fordham is a great school,” Rafael smiled. “I know a few of the professors there. Have you been to any of my trials?”

“Unfortunately, no,” she visibly sagged. “The dockets go public way too late for me to plan around my current schedule.”

“Oh, that’s easy to solve,” he took a card from his jacket pocket and handed it to Lily. “Here, you can call my assistant. She can give you all the dates and times for upcoming trials.”

“Oh my god,” Lily held the card close to her chest. “Thank you so much, Mr. Barba. I’ll let you two go back to work, but thank you. It was great meeting you.”

“You, too,” Rafael nodded and sat back down. “Stick to your studies.”

“Of course,” she smiled, waved a little and practically ran out of the room.

When the door closed behind her, Sonny chuckled. “Sorry about that, but she promised she’d get us fresh coffee if I introduced her. You just made her whole week, you know. Hell, her whole year.”

Rafael laughed. “Well, in my line of work I’ve only ever had enemies, so I had to give my first fan some special treatment.”

“Hey,” Sonny feigned offense. “She’s not your first fan, I am.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he rolled his eyes playfully. “You’ve already been to my apartment and my office, what other special treatment could you possibly want?”

The silence that followed was heavy, charged. Sonny kept his eyes locked on Rafael’s, not even blinking. The longer they looked at each other, the more the tension seemed to build. There was a pink tint coming up Sonny’s neck, and for a moment Rafael wondered if he was even breathing.

Eventually, the designer shook his head and smiled softly. “Anyway, about the paint. The beige color is lighter, so it’ll bring more light into the room. But you don’t necessarily need it, considering all the natural light you have coming in.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” he nodded, feeling a bit swayed by the abrupt change of subject. “But I think I’d use the room at night a lot more.”

“And we’re bringing in great light bulbs and lamps that won’t tire your eyes, so you still don’t necessarily need a light color like this, but it’s still a classic, and it’s easier to match to the furniture,” Sonny said and pushed the grey sample closer to him. “But this grey is warmer and fancier, while also being cozier. At night, it’ll really have that effect of being home, you know.”

“And what about matching the furniture?,” he teased.

Sonny snorted. “Well, this grey with colors like that yellow,” he pointed at his couch. “Wouldn’t really work as well, but I don’t think you’d want a yellow couch.”

“What? You don’t think I can invite the District Attorney of Manhattan to have a drink on a yellow couch?”

With a straight face, Sonny reached for his hand and held it. His stomach lurched forward at the contact. “Rafael,” he said with a serious tone. “Nothing would make me happier.”

Rafael threw his head back and laughed in a way he hadn’t laughed in a very long time.

He was definitely leaning towards the grey color. “Which one do you prefer?”

“Personally, the grey,” Sonny said. “I’m all for cozy and homey colors.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Really? Sonny, I never would have guessed. You’re very unpredictable.”

It was Sonny’s turn to laugh out loud, and Rafael smiled at the sound.

* * *

 

The work in Rafael’s home office started three days later. Sonny came in bright and early, before Rafael left for work, with two builders and a lot of equipment. They set up a little station on his guest bedroom, and got busy.

Rafael hadn’t really expected Sonny to get his hands dirty, he did own the company after all. He was surprised to find him in slacks and an undershirt when he got home later on the first day.

The crew had spent all day taking everything out of the room and ripping off the current wallpaper and carpeting. It was almost completely bare when he stepped in. Sonny was the only one there, the builders long gone.

He was ripping the last of the wallpaper when something caught Rafael’s eye. Something that he hadn’t seen before, and that made his stomach drop to his feet. He couldn’t have missed it all this time. He had been watching Sonny too closely for almost two weeks not to notice it.

But it was unmistakably there. A thin, golden band on his ring finger.

It was like behind hit over the head with icy water. Rafael was so sure there was something between them, a spark, a promise, maybe mutual interest. He was sure they had been flirting a little. He had rushed home just so he could flirt some more, and eventually he’d build the nerve to ask Sonny out.

But all this time, Sonny had… someone else? He was married? Or recently got married, at least, because Rafael was sure he would have noticed that ring before. He noticed things for a living, for God’s sake. And it was true that Sonny’s eyes and his smile had proven to be distracting many times before, but a ring? He would have seen that.

“Hey,” Sonny greeted when he turned, his hands full of scrunched up paper. “I didn’t hear you come in. Good day at work?”

“Considering everything, yeah,” he nodded. Getting home with no headache definitely counted as a good day. “How’s everything around here?”

“Oh, today’s been all about stripping the room bare,” he smiled. “Your books are all safely packed inside the closet in your guest room.”

Rafael chuckled. “Thanks. I didn’t expect you to get your hands dirty.”

Sonny shrugged, throwing the old paper inside a trash bag that was already half-full. “I get that a lot. Trevor doesn’t really participate in the baring and painting of it all, but I like it. Besides, one more pair of hands means we’ll get out of your hair sooner.”

If only Sonny knew how much Rafael didn’t want that. “Well, I’m not in a hurry,” he said, and a voice inside his head objected that he had said the exact opposite two weeks before.

“That’s great, but your contract says we have to be done in eight days, so we will be done in eight days,” Sonny guaranteed, looking around happily. “This is going to look so good when it’s done. I’m really excited.”

There it was. Sonny’s undying energy, buzzing off of him and making Rafael’s heart thump.

“We’re still on for furniture shopping on Saturday, right?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I got some reference pictures for a couch and a new desk.”

“Good, text me those. And do you like the chair in your office downtown?”

“That chair is the only reason I haven’t quit my job yet,” Rafael said with a dramatic sigh.

Sonny laughed. “Perfect. Check the label and we can try to find something similar.”

“Okay,” he smiled. “Where’s the bookcase?”

“Oh, we moved it to the guest room so I can sand it and varnish it,” Sonny said and, when he ran his hand through his hair, his ring caught the light and reminded Rafael of its presence. His stomach sank further down.

“Right. Well, I’m going to take a shower,” Rafael said politely, unsure of whether to verbally dismiss Sonny or not.

“Sure, yeah,” Sonny nodded violently. “I’m just leaving. Please. It’s your house. You can do whatever you want. I mean. Not that you need my permission. But don’t worry about me. I’m gonna - I’m going.”

“Sonny, breathe,” he smiled.

“Sorry,” he blushed. “I’ll take this,” he grabbed the trash bag and threw it over his shoulder. “And I’ll leave you to it. Have a good night, Rafael. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Night, Sonny,” he said, his voice suddenly sounding very small.

When he heard the front door close, he let out a long, shaky breath. He willed his heart to stop going crazy and his stomach to get back up from the floor.

With heavy feet and sagged shoulders, he made his way to his bedroom. He thought he kept seeing flashes of Sonny’s ring whenever he blinked, a vicious trick of his mind.

As Rafael tried to accept the fact that Sonny was unattainable, he felt like his chest was about to crack open, as if his heart was physically trying to keep Sonny close to it.

That night, sleep didn’t come easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The mystery of the ring will be solved next chapter, but I'd love to hear your guesses. What do you think it means? 
> 
> Please make an author happy and leave a comment and a kudo <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonny tells Rafael the story behind the ring.

Rafael soon realized that the ring wasn’t always present. The day after he saw it for the first time, it was gone. Then, two days later, it showed up again. He considered that maybe it was a regular ring, that Sonny wore like any other accessory, but it very clearly looked like a wedding band.

Even though he wasn’t sure of the other man’s marital status and still hadn’t found an opening to ask, Rafael couldn’t help but be drawn to him. He had always prided himself in having great self-control, but he couldn’t get enough of Sonny.

Which was why, when he left his office much later than he expected, he felt resigned with the idea that he wouldn’t see Sonny that night. It put him in an awful mood, and he almost bit his driver’s head off when he kept breaking for no reason.

Said ‘no reason’ being red traffic lights.

He was exhausted, and he wanted to go home and wallow in self-pity.

But to Rafael’s surprise, he could hear a machine going when he walked into his apartment. His hopeful, traitor heart started beating faster, because he knew it was Sonny. No builder ever stayed past their working hours, but Sonny always did.

Rafael found him in the guest room, sanding his bookcase with a look of full concentration. His brow was furrowed, and the tip of his tongue was peeking out between his pink lips. It was an adorable look.

“Hey,” he said, trying to speak over the sound of the machine.

Sonny must have heard him, because he looked from the shelf to the door and his whole face lit up. “Hi,” he said when he turned off the sander.

“I didn’t expect to see you here so late,” Rafael stepped into the room to give the bookcase a once-over.

“We had a problem with the wallpaper,” Sonny told him with a disappointed look. “The measurements for the wall were wrong in the file, so we’re gonna need more roles. They’re coming tomorrow, but that means we’re gonna get a late start on the carpeting on that side of the room. I wanted to get this going so it’s ready to go in as soon as the carpet is down.”

“Right. I’m sorry about the measurements, it’s what the previous owners gave me, I had no idea,” he didn’t feel guilty though, because a delay meant Sonny might stay longer. “And don’t worry about the deadline, Sonny. I’m not going to sue you if you’re late.”

Sonny laughed. “Okay, Mr. Lawyer,” he teased. “I was about to order some dinner though, would you like something?”

Rafael felt like he had been punched in the gut. Because yes, he did want to have dinner with Sonny, but the ring was back on his finger, as shiny as ever.

He chose to take the opportunity as it was presented to him. “Don’t you have someone at home waiting for you?,” he asked, pointing at the ring.

Sonny suddenly got a sad look on his face, and Rafael wanted to take the question back. He had never seen Sonny look sad, and he didn’t want to see it again.

“He passed away three years ago,” Sonny told him, pulling the ring off his finger and rolling it in the palm of his hand. “I probably shouldn’t wear it on my ring finger, right? Gives people the wrong impression. But it just fits better. I like to have it on some days, to remember those days and where I came from.”

Rafael felt sorry for him, he did, but he also felt like he could breathe again, like his heart wasn’t trying to eject itself from his chest anymore. Because Rafael realized, late in the night, that he was in love with Sonny. They’d known each other for less than three weeks, but he was sure.

He probably fell in love the moment he saw Sonny for the first time, and the idea that he had someone else was eating him alive.

Now, even though he was sorry Sonny went through that much pain when he lost his loved one, everything felt like it was in the right place again.

“We got married the day after the Marriage Equality Act passed,” Sonny told him, sounding wistful. “It was beautiful. The streets were so colorful, people were so happy. We had two great years together, then cancer took him.”

Rafael reached for his shoulder, placing a comforting hand on it. “I’m sorry to hear that, Sonny.”

Sonny smiled at him. “He was a great guy. He was a lawyer, too.”

Both his eyebrows shot up, and he chuckled. “Is that why you’re so good at upcycling an ADA’s office?”

Sonny laughed and nodded. “Well, I definitely learned firsthand how practical and organized everything has to be. And I dated another lawyer after he passed away. And Trevor used to be a lawyer. So I guess I’m just surrounded by your people.”

Rafael laughed, happy to see Sonny didn’t seem sad anymore.

“What about you?,” Sonny asked, suddenly seeming very interested in wiping sand away from the bookshelf. “Unattached?”

“Oh, I’m very much attached,” he joked. “To my job. And it gets very jealous when I even think about doing anything else.”

Sonny laughed again, louder this time. He put the ring back on and pointed at it as he said, “Andrew used to say the same thing, almost word for word. But then I happened.”

Well, it seemed that Rafael and Andrew had that in common as well. Because Rafael was happy with his job, it fulfilled him. Until Sonny showed up, and suddenly he couldn’t wait to leave his office so he could get home and see him work his magic. Suddenly he hated having to stay late, he hated Olivia for keeping him at the precinct when it was time for him to go home.

“How did you two meet?,” Rafael asked.

“I was the interior designer hired to redo his firm’s office. It wasn’t love at first sight, but we were around each other so much, eventually something sparked there.”

He nodded along. “Well, it seems that your job is better than mine when it comes to sourcing dates.”

Sonny smirked. “Considering the unit you work for, I should hope so. So, dinner?”

“Sounds great,” he smiled, a purposefully flirty smile. “I have some menus, let me grab them.”

* * *

 

When dinner arrived, they moved to the dining room and served themselves in comfortable silence. Sonny had chosen to seat directly by his side instead of across from him, like he expected. He was having a hard time keeping himself in check as their elbows kept brushing between bites.

Rafael’s mind kept going back to Andrew, Sonny’s deceased husband. He didn’t seem that upset while telling the story. There was only a certain nostalgia to his voice, as if Sonny had come to terms with the past and his loss.

“Do you miss him?,” he heard himself ask, his eyes fixated on his plate. Beside him, Sonny didn’t even flinch.

“Andrew?,” Sonny asked, and Rafael nodded. “Yeah. I mean, how could I not? We loved each other, we shared so much. When he was diagnosed, I thought my life was over. He fought it, hard. He used to say that it if weren’t for me, he would be gone much sooner.”

Rafael swallowed hard and turned to look at him. Sonny looked serious, but there was the smallest twinkle of something in his eye.

It made perfect sense that having someone beside him, someone to live for, would have given Andrew some extra time with Sonny.

“When he died,” Sonny looked skyward, a small smile curving the corners of his lips. “I didn’t understand. I couldn’t make sense of why God would do that to him. He was so good, so kind. But my priest helped me a lot.”

Rafael blinked. He didn’t know Sonny was religious. And he didn’t expect it, given his clear interest in the same sex. But Sonny was young, perhaps the church wasn’t as intolerant as it was back when he was forced to attend it.

“We all have a mission, you know,” Sonny told him, now fully smiling. “And Andrew fulfilled his. God took him to be closer to Him because he achieved His plans for him. And when I looked at all the good Andrew did, when I remember how much he loved me, I couldn’t possibly be resentful. It would be selfish of me.”

That was probably the most selfless thing he had ever heard. Rafael didn’t have that in him. When his grandmother passed away, he was mad at everyone and everything. He didn’t believe in God, but if there was anyone out there in charge of who died and who lived, they were disgustingly twisted.

But what Sonny was saying somehow made sense.

His grandmother had kept him and his mother afloat for most of her life. Even when his father finally left them in peace, she had to help his mother provide for him. Now, Rafael, graduated from Harvard, was an Assistant District Attorney. He could provide for both himself and his mother, even though she herself had a respectful job at a school.

His grandmother accomplished her mission, and then some.

It was comforting, thinking like that. After fighting for so long, she got to rest next to the God she prayed to so often.

“It took some time,” Sonny continued. “Some mourning and some praying, but I’m happy. Andrew is the reason I am where I am in life and I’d never want to change it.”

Rafael nodded and offered him a reassuring smile. He turned back to his food with a pensive look.

“You mentioned Trevor used to be a lawyer?,” Rafael asked after a bite.

“Yeah, and don’t hate him, but he used to be a defense attorney,” Sonny told him and laughed when Rafael pulled a face. “He mostly worked with businessmen against lawsuits, but eventually one of those men got caught in a sex trafficking ring and Trevor refused to defend him. So he quit.”

Well, at least the guy had morals. “And where did you meet him?”

“This lawyer I dated worked at the same law firm he did, so we met at their Christmas party.”

Rafael stopped and turned to look at him. “You dated a defense attorney?”

It was Sonny’s turn to pull a face. “Not my proudest moment, but he was a nice guy.”

“He was a defense attorney,” Rafael teased.

“Hey, if there weren’t defense attorneys there wouldn’t be a need for prosecutors, so really you should thank them,” Sonny snickered.

“I won’t be caught dead thanking a defense attorney, Carisi.”

Sonny laughed out loud, the clear sound Rafael loved so much.

“Anyway,” Sonny waved a hand. “Trevor knew I was an interior designer and wanted to partner up, so now here we are.”

Rafael nodded, watching him wave his hands around dramatically as he spoke. He had noticed Sonny did that a lot. When he was trying to describe what the office would look like, he’d use grand hand gestures as if he could paint the picture with his fingertips. It was very endearing.

“And how did you decide you wanted to be a designer?,” he asked, going in for another mouthful of ramen noodles.

“Well, I have three sisters, and when my parents found a house big enough for all of us, they promised we’d never move again,” Sonny told him, a glint in his eyes and a small smile on his lips that told Rafael how fond he was of his family. “My dad did most of the renovation himself, but we all had to get our hands in. And I loved it. I took woodshop classes in high school and I made my sister Bella a vanity desk, and my sister Gina needed storage for her theater costumes and props, so I built some for her. It was only up from there.”

“You can actually build things like that?,” Rafael asked, impressed. And maybe a little breathless.

“Yeah,” he said proudly. “And sculpt too. I want to try to make you a mantelpiece from scratch, if there’s time.”

“As I’ve said, you don’t need to worry about the deadline.”

Sonny smiled. “Maybe it can be a late gift, then.”

Rafael was suddenly very aware of how close they were, their shoulders almost touching, their faces a few inches apart. He wanted to close the distance, lean in and kiss Sonny.

But before he could, Sonny turned back to his food.

“What about you? When did you decide to become a prosecutor?,” he asked.

“I’m afraid the story isn’t as uplifting as yours,” Rafael said, looking down at the table with a little frown.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I’m not going anywhere if you do,” Sonny promised, his voice sounding soft and gentle. It reminded him of the way Olivia spoke to victims.

“My father, for as long as I can remember, was always extremely violent towards my mother,” Rafael said, and Sonny slowly set his chopsticks down and turned his whole body to him. He swallowed hard. “He abused her verbally, and threatened her with physical force over the smallest things. He pushed her around, shook her, dragged her by the arm. She took everything because she didn’t want him to take anything out on me.

Until one day, when I was 16, he slapped her across the face right in front of me. I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. I jumped in front of her and pushed him away. He got even angrier, said I was a disgrace just like her, and he beat the shit out of me. Broke three of my ribs and my jaw,” at this point, both of Rafael’s hands had balled into fists on the table top and Sonny had set one hand his forearm and the other one between his shoulder blades, comforting him with a slow caress.

“From that day on, I promised myself that I would do anything to make sure every victim of domestic violence got the justice they deserved. I promised I’d do it for my mother,” he said, his voice shaking slightly. “And I’d do it for every child with a parent like mine.”

Rafael willed his hands to relax, flexing his fingers open. Sonny immediately took both his hands in his and turned Rafael to him, a fierce look in his eyes.

“That’s so brave, Rafael,” he said, his voice low and even. “You got out of there, and you turned something horrible into an amazing life mission. You should be proud.”

He smiled meekly, letting Sonny hold him for a moment longer.

“Thanks,” he sighed. “And I’m sorry for ruining dinner.”

Sonny shook his head. “You didn’t ruin anything. On the contrary, you just made me admire you even more.”

Rafael’s breath caught in his throat as he looked at Sonny, his beautiful blue eyes shining with nothing but good intentions. Rafael was suddenly consumed by the need to kiss him again, but he couldn’t really lean in with the way Sonny was holding his hands.

So instead, Rafael looked down at their joined hands. Sonny’s pale skin a beautiful contrast against his tan complexion.

Despite the underlying anger he always felt when he remembered his father, Rafael mostly felt relief for being open and having Sonny accept it so readily. He felt safe.

“Let’s finish our food,” Rafael said after a few beats. “No more sad stories.”

Sonny chuckled and let go of his hands, turning back in his chair to face forward. “Rafael, I’m here for whatever story you want to tell.”

Rafael looked at him and smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be very honest with yall, chapter 4 is not done. I'd say it's 2/3 complete, but I can't seem to produce an ending, so I'd like to ask for your help. What would you like to see? Leave me a comment with your hopes and dreams and hopefully something will inspire me. Pretty, please!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rafael gets a new office and a new boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took longer than I imagined but I somehow finished this! Thank you @perpetualgayle and @mghooverwriter on Twitter for inspiring me to just get it all out. It worked! 
> 
> We've come to the end, and I hope you enjoy it! :D

Rafael struggled to fit his key in the lock for half a second. His hands were shaking slightly. His head was pounding, and even blinking made it feel like his brain was about to ooze out through his ears.

He stepped in with heavy steps, squinting at the bright lights all around the apartment and the absolute murdering sound of a machine going on and on.

Rafael stepped into the kitchen with a grimace, going straight into his medicine drawer and looking for the quickest and most potent pill for his state of near crying due to his criminal headache.

He swallowed two pills in large gulps of water, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply. The sound inside his own head was absurdly loud.

“Hey, Rafael,” Sonny greeted with his sunny disposition, and Rafael winced. Sonny frowned. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Rafael whispered in response. “Rough day. Got the worst headache.”

“Oh,” he winced in sympathy and immediately shut off a few of the lights in the dining and living rooms. “I’m sorry. Why don’t you go lay on the couch for a second? I can make you some tea.”

He looked up at Sonny, surprised. “You don’t have to do that.”

Sonny smiled softly, then made a grand gesture for him to go into the living room. “I insist.”

If Rafael weren’t about to lose his mind due to the amount of pain he was feeling, he’d definitely protest a little more. But he had no fight left in him, so with a small groan he made his way to the couch and lay down, closing his eyes with a hand over his face.

He could hear Sonny moving around the kitchen, but the day’s weight was crashing down on him quickly, and he left out a long, deep breath as he tried to stop himself from making his headache even worse just by thinking about it.

But literally nothing went right.

SVU was still understaffed, so Olivia was slower at finding evidence. There was a pile of nonsensical motions on his desk, waiting for precedents to throw them out. Two of their perps were out on bail after their disastrous arraignments, and to top it all off, the DA chewed him out for the last case he lost.

Crying victims, smug perps, incompetent defense attorneys, an overwhelmed Olivia and an irritated boss. The recipe to Rafael’s headache.

The pills started to kick in about fifteen minutes later, and breathing didn’t seem like torture anymore.

He heard the soft clink of porcelain on his coffee table and slowly blinked his eyes open, coming face to face with a very clearly worried Sonny. He was frowning, the corners of his mouth turned down as he seemed to try to will Rafael’s discomfort away with his wide, bright eyes assessing his state.

“I’ve got herbal tea and a grilled cheese,” he offered in a low whisper. “Eating should help.”

With a deep groan of pain, Rafael sat up and accepted the plate and the mug.

“I hope you don’t mind me going through your fridge,” Sonny said sheepishly, as if he’d suddenly realized how peculiar it was.

Rafael waved him off. “It’s fine,” he breathed. “Thank you.”

“Do you want to talk about it?,” Sonny asked, taking a seat slowly beside Rafael as if he was afraid his movements would jostle him too much. “About whatever caused that headache?”

Rafael took a long sip of the tea. Chamomile, he noticed, pleased. “Sonny, you don’t have to stick around. I’m sure you’d rather go home.”

Sonny smiled and shook his head. “I’m fine staying for a little longer, if you’ll have me.”

He considered the other man for a moment, but the somewhat vicious thumping inside his brain told him to stop think too hard and he settled back into the couch, relaxing with the grilled cheese in hand.

Between one bite and the other, Rafael told Sonny about his day. His voice just above a whisper, he noticed the designer kept leaning closer to hear him better.

To his credit, Sonny managed to keep up with Rafael’s low but rapid speech. He nodded and winced in the right places, but didn’t offer much comment on anything. He seemed sympathetic, content to just listen to Rafael. It was heartwarming.

By the time he was done with the tea and sandwich, Rafael felt better, although there was still a very uncomfortable pressure pressing against his temples. He closed his eyes for a moment, willing it away, but he knew the only cure for how poorly he felt was a good night’s sleep.

“Are you okay?,” Sonny whispered, resting a comforting hand on Rafael’s knee.

“Better,” Rafael smiled meekly. “I just need to sleep and I’ll be ready for tomorrow.”

“Of course,” he nodded, stood up and took the plate and mug from Rafael. “I’ll give these a wash and be on my way.”

“Sonny, just leave it,” Rafael protested.

“No way,” he shook his head and waved Rafael off. “It’ll take one minute.”

“Thank you,” he said softly. “Really. You didn’t have to do any of this.”

Sonny beamed. “I know.”

Rafael stood up to take off his jacket, suspenders and tie as Sonny went into the kitchen. A few minutes later, Sonny said goodbye, grabbed his bag and left with a warm smile.

Much like his brain had, his heart started doing some intense thumping of its own.

* * *

 

Three days later, the office was almost done. Sonny and Rafael had fallen into the habit of having dinner together, and that was the favorite part of Rafael’s day by far.

He had started to suspect that Sonny stayed behind so he could wait for Rafael to get home. Maybe on the first couple days staying late made sense, but it didn’t now with almost everything done.

The 7th night was their last, considering Sonny and his builders were supposed to deliver the room all done with a bow on top the next day, by 5pm. Rafael bought a bottle of wine to celebrate, even though he would hate not having him there every night.

Well, the wine was also supposed to work as liquid courage for Rafael and maybe he’d find a way to keep Sonny around.

He found Sonny unpacking his books and putting them back on the upcycled bookcase when he arrived. Rafael was still taken aback by how gorgeous the man was every time he saw him.

“Hi,” Rafael greeted, stepping inside the room and looking around. “Wow. It looks amazing.”

It really did. And it felt homey and cozy too, like Sonny said it would, with the light grey walls and dark brown furniture.

“Yeah, I thought about keeping you out and making a big reveal tomorrow, but I couldn’t wait,” Sonny said excitedly, with a beaming smile. “Go, sit in your chair, let me see how it looks.”

Rafael made his way around the desk and sat, leaning back and getting comfortable with his feet up on the desktop. He was sitting across from the big window and the view of the city at night was stunning, but not as stunning as the look on Sonny’s face as he took in the sight of Rafael in his chair.

“God, Rafael, you look like the most powerful guy on the planet right now,” he said and honest to God put his hand to his heart, a dreamy look on his face.

“It feels great,” Rafael smiled. “You did a really great job, Sonny.”

“Thank you,” he blushed. “We just need the couch to come in, the mantelpiece, the decoration and the art work and it’s all done.”

“I bought some wine for us to celebrate.”

“Uh,” Sonny paused suddenly. “I actually wanted to ask you something.”

Rafael raised both his eyebrows and stood up, but only to lean against the side of the desk. He waited for what Sonny was building up the courage to ask and he couldn’t help the hopeful tug he felt in his chest.

“I, uh, Rafael, I think you’re amazing, and I really like you, and I was wondering if you’d like to go out to dinner with me,” he said, looking at Rafael through his eyelashes. “You know, as in a date.”

Rafael blinked quickly, taken by surprise by what he was saying. Slowly, he smiled.

“I’d love to,” he said, and Sonny lit up.

“You would?,” Sonny took a step forward. “Really?”

“Really. Talking to you every night has been the highlight of my days, if I’m being honest,” Rafael confessed, and now Sonny was the one taken by surprise. “I’ve been trying to build the nerve to say something since we met.”

“You…,” Sonny blinked, gaping.

“Yeah,” he smiled softly.

Before he could say anything else, Sonny closed the distance between them and kissed him. Rafael was sure his heart had stopped the moment their lips touched, but suddenly it just burst back into life as Sonny wrapped his arms around him.

Sonny’s lips were incredibly soft and warm, and Rafael couldn’t help but suck and bite into it slightly. That earned him a little moan, which only served to spur him on.

Rafael kept one hand on the back of Sonny’s head, scratching the little hairs at the nape of his neck, and the other one had a vicious grip on his shirt.

He thought his soul was about to leave his body when he felt Sonny’s tongue run across his bottom lip then lick into his mouth, inviting Rafael to do the same.

They could have stayed right there for the rest of the night, Rafael was sure of that. Feeling Sonny’s heat so close to him was maddening, and he couldn’t get enough of it.

Eventually the need to breathe kicked in and they parted, but neither stepped back. Sonny kept placing short, sweet kisses on his lips, his eyes closed and a small smile on.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since we met,” Sonny confessed in a whisper.

“Since we met?,” Rafael tilted his head.

“Yeah. When you opened the door and I saw you, I just,” he paused, seemingly unable to find the words.

“I know,” Rafael smiled. “I felt the same.”

“So? Dinner tomorrow?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Sonny beamed.

* * *

Rafael had asked Carmen to keep his schedule free after 4pm the day the renovation had started. He wanted to be home before the builders left, to properly thank them and see them off. And then he and Sonny were going to dinner together.

He couldn’t help but smile.

But of course, one of his early meetings with the DA ran late, which meant he got to his briefing at SVU late, and Olivia held him longer than he expected. So it was almost five, and he had just jumped on the backseat of his Uber.

Rafael checked his watch impantenly, counting down the minutes and the distance to his apartment building. But thankfully, when he arrived, the builders were still packing their equipment, supervisioned by Sonny himself, of course.

“Hello, everyone,” Rafael greeted as he walked in, giving Sonny a big smile. The other man winked flirtatiously at him. “So it seems like this is goodbye,” he said, specifically to the builders, of course.

The one that was closest to him, a nice young man named Jason, snorted loudly. “I’m sure we’ll see you around the office, Mr. Barba. Sonny isn’t the most discreet, you know,” he teased, and Sonny blushed.

But before he could defend himself, the eldest of the three builders spoke up, laughing. “Oh, yeah. ‘Rafael this, Rafael that’,” he mimicked Sonny’s voice. “Just so you know, he’s never stayed past his working hours for anybody else.”

Rafael’s eyebrows as Sonny groaned. “Okay, alright, that’s enough,” he said, waving his builders off.

“Oh, no,” the third one interjected, picking up his tools with a smug look. “We had to listen to your whines for eight days, Sonny. We’re getting our revenge now,” the guy told him, then turned to Rafael. “He’s disgustingly into you, in case you didn’t know. I’ve heard him wax poetic about your eyes for way too many hours. I don’t get paid enough for that.”

“There’s not enough money in the world that would make me want to listen to him sighing dumbly about how ‘nice Rafael looked this morning’,” the eldest builder said, putting on Sonny’s accent perfectly.

At this point, Rafael was openly laughing, and Sonny’s entire face and neck were red.

“You two are so lucky,” Jason added, pointing at the other builders. “I’ve been listening to Sonny talk about his ass for days now.”

“Enough!,” Sonny all but yelled, throwing his hands up. “All of you, stop. That’s very inappropriate.”

“Is it?,” Jason pressed, smirking. “What was it you said about his-”

“Stop!,” Sonny shook his head, then started pushing the three guys towards the door. “I’ll see you all tomorrow at the office.”

“Wait, wait,” Rafael jumped in. “Wax poetic aside, I wanted to thank you guys for all the work. I appreciate the effort and the care.”

“Don’t mention it,” the eldest one waved him off. “That’s why we do this. Not to hear an idiot’s love confession.”

“Goodbye,” Sonny proceeded to push them away again, and let out a heavy sigh of relief when the door closed behind the group.

Rafael crossed his arms over his chest, giving Sonny an amused look. “You’ve been talking to your builders about my ass?”

“No!,” he pushed away from the door, walking towards Rafael. “I really didn’t, I just made a comment about how I liked your pants once.”

“My pants?,” he raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, you know,” Sonny shrugged, still looking mortified. “But the thing about your eyes… that’s true. They’re a fascinating color.”

Rafael took two steps closer to him, smiling softly. “Tell me more.”

“It depends on the light, but it shifts from a very soft green to a very intense, dark viridian shade,” he said sheepishly, watching Rafael closely. “It’s beautiful.”

Rafael leaned in and kissed him, wrapping his arms around Sonny’s waist with no hesitation. It was a slow kiss that tugged at his stomach and made his heart flip. When he pulled back, Sonny was smiling.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, and pecked him on the lips softly. “I brought you a gift.”

“Did you?”

Sonny nodded. “Two, actually,” he pulled Rafael towards the living room. “Here’s one.”

He picked up a beautiful bouquet of white roses and handed them to Rafael with a lopsided grin, his dimple somehow making him look even younger. “For your new office,” he said. “There’s a vase for it in there. It’s part of the decoration, so you’ll always have to keep it filled with something pretty.”

Rafael smiled and pulled the roses closer to his chest, smiling. “Thank you, they’re beautiful.”

“You’re welcome,” Sonny beamed and took his hand. “Now let’s go see your new office.”

Given the sneak peek from yesterday, Rafael had a general idea of what the space would look like. But when Sonny opened the door and he stepped inside, it was an experience regardless.

There were no more tools laying around, the furniture was free from protective plastic, all the decoration was beautifully put together. The carpet was a stunning caramel shade that Rafael remembered picking, but that he just now got the full picture of how well it went with the grey walls and dark brown furniture.

The couch was about the same size as the one he had in his office, but in a soft brown instead. The coffee table was the same brown shade of his desk, and most of the decoration brought in pops of burgundy. The pillows on the couch, the paperweight on Rafael’s desk, the porcelain Lady Justice on the shelf.

His small conference table was in the middle of the room, a jet black centerpiece with a big chandelier hanging right above it. It pulled the room inwards, making it feel much more homey.

The new, light, beige curtains were open, and the view of the city was great, but what called his attention the most was the fireplace. The fire was on, and Rafael almost fell back on his ass looking at the new mantelpiece.

He approached it cautiously, in awe. The piece was gorgeous, modern, but with a peculiar bit of flair. “Did you carve this?,” Rafael asked, looking at Sonny over his shoulder.

“Yeah, I crammed it in last night and finished it,” he said with a coy look.

Rafael ran his fingers over the soft wood. It was the same shade as the bookshelves, cut in a crisp, retangular, straight shape. But in the middle, right above the bright flames, was the silhouette of a roaring lion. He leaned down to appreciate the curves closely, smiling.

“Why a lion?,” he asked, impressed by how well sculpted it was. It didn’t look easy to do, such a delicate pattern against the hardwood.

Sonny looked down at his feet for a moment, then back at Rafael. “I considered carving flowers, and even an angel.”

“An angel?,” Rafael turned back to him, eyebrows up.

“Yeah, because of your name. Archangel Raphael and whatnot,” Sonny shrugged. “But I just couldn’t get the idea of a lion out of my head. I just associate you with lions, I guess.”

Rafael narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment.”

“It is!,” Sonny nodded. “You know, they’re fierce leaders, but they can also be very playful. So I guess I just made that connection and couldn’t let it go, and that’s why. I can change it if you don’t like it.”

“No, it’s lovely. Thank you,” he smiled, and walked over to Sonny. “You know, my grandmother used to said that, in Catholicism, there’s a Saint called Saint Raphael.”

The designer smiled. “Yeah, patron of travelers, and happy meetings.”

Rafael hummed. “She used to call him ‘the matchmaker’.”

Sonny laughed, his hands resting on Rafael’s hips. “Yeah?”

“I think that finally makes sense to me,” he whispered, their noses almost touching. “You did an amazing job, Sonny. Thank you for all of it.”

“It was my pleasure, really,” he smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it,” Rafael leaned in and kissed him softly. “Don’t we have a date tonight?”

“We do,” Sonny nodded, looking excited. “But we don’t have to go out, I can cook for you here.”

“That sounds like a great idea, but I’m sure there’s nothing in my fridge.”

Sonny smirked. “Then let’s go back to my place.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to see how many colors you managed to fit in there,” Rafael teased with a knowing look.

He laughed, hugging Rafael closer. “I’m so happy I found you.”

“Thank Saint Raphael,” he smiled, and Sonny kissed him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we're done with this one, but of course I've already got another short fic written, that should be up on Monday, and I'm currently working on another multi-chaptered story. 
> 
> I guess I live here now. 
> 
> Thank you every who read this, it was a bit of a unpopular idea, but I had fun. Please, let me know what you think! Comments and kudos are very much appreciated :D

**Author's Note:**

> I've had the longest unmotivated spell ever lately, and it's still not quite gone. There's only one more scene I have to write to finish this story, but I haven't managed to get to it in weeks. So PLEASE let me know what you think of this, leave me some comments and kudos and help me get out of this funk ): 
> 
> Next chapter should be up in a few days


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